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A PRIVATE sector push is needed to help spawn a local gaming industry and provide future employment opportunities for upcoming developers and animators, a senior official at the Cosmopolitan College and Technology (CCCT) said recently.

The college will be offering a new diploma programme in gaming and animation and it is expected that this will develop the capability of young Bruneians in the field, Rissa Pacuribot, head of Public Relations at CCCT told The Brunei Times.

“We are developing the technology in Brunei... So this is also an opportunity for the private sector to come up with the idea of putting another type of business opportunity that will be ready in Brunei,” she said.

She said it is important to understand what the younger generation is interested in if they are to pursue their studies.

“We have to look also into (their) passion when it comes to a career that they want to pursue. So since this is their interest and …

BRUNEI should continue to be a leader in mediating regional conflicts and rejecting extremism, said the outgoing US ambassador.

In an exit interview with The Brunei Times, Daniel Shields said Brunei showed “great restraint and diplomacy” when mediating tensions over the disputed South China Sea, providing much-needed calm following a period of disagreement among ASEAN countries on how to handle overlapping territorial claims with China.

“I thought Brunei did a brilliant job of providing leadership and security,” he said yesterday.

“Brunei has always been a country that various parties can count on to speak up for restraint and diplomacy in terms of dealing any tension in the South China Sea. So I think Brunei’s contribution there has been very important.”

Brunei is one of four ASEAN countries – along with Vietnam, the Philippines, and Malaysia – that has overlapping claims with China in the resource-rich sea, which is home t…

HIS Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam underscored the need to strengthen the education system at the primary level in the country, which the monarch saw as key to educational success at the subsequent level.

His Majesty said this in a titah as the ruler and Her Majesty Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Hajah Saleha yesterday consented to attend a Get-Together Ceremony with citizens and residents of Brunei Darussalam in the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland comprising students, government officials on duty and attending courses as well as those on vacation with their families in the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland; and the conferment of Universiti Brunei Darussalam’s ‘The Chancellor’s Scholar’ for the 2014/2015 session.

The ceremony was held at the London Hilton on Park Lane, London, United Kingdom.

His Majesty was grateful that this year Brunei has achieved 100 Years of Formal Education. This showed that the nation, since the very be…

OVER 50 costume players (cosplays) gathered to showcase their talent and creativity at the Brunei Edutainment Wonderland (BEW) yesterday.

During the event, which was organised by NE Project with support from D’Sunlit Sdn Bhd, the audience were entertained stage appearances and performances from various groups that displayed features ranging from Western and Japanese animation to video games characters.

It saw a prize presentation for six contestants with the highest votes received for the photo contest jointly organised with Coskuni Productions. There was also a category for the best dressed male and female.

Md Nabil Hj Salamat, 24, who portrayed ‘Grave’ from the online game League of Legends while holding his own customised ‘Grave gun’ made by cardboard and Styrofoam, won the best dressed male.

THE Minister of Communications yesterday paid tribute to former and current government officials who contributed to the development of Brunei’s aviation industry.

Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Hamzah Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Hj Abdullah Begawan Mudim Dato Paduka Hj Bakar said over 20 developments have been made since the first 3,000-feet-long runway was built at the Brunei International Airport 60 years ago.

“We would not have the Brunei International Airport of today if not for the collective efforts made by past and present agencies,” he said.

The minister was speaking at the International Civil Aviation Day 2014 observance at the Royal Brunei Recreation Club in Berakas yesterday.

“The Brunei International Airport’s runway length has now quadrupled to 12,000 feet. The previous runway could only accommodate light aircraft, now it can accommodate the B747 plane,” he said.

The $69 million Women and Children's block of the RIPAS hospital was completed yesterday. Construction of the building began in May 2011. BT/Sanusi Hussin
The waiting hall of the paediatric clinic of the newly completed Women and Children's block of the RIPAS hospital. BT/Sanusi Hussin ><

Aaron Wong

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Friday, December 19, 2014

INFANT Care in Brunei has grown by leaps and bounds in 2014 with the completion and introduction of several projects and initiatives but new challenges lie ahead with the rise of non-communicable diseases among expecting mothers in the Sultanate. All babies born in 2015 will undergo hearing screening to allow health professionals to identify those with hearing loss or deafness, allowing for better management of their problems at an earlier stage.
The Minister of Health Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Johan Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Hj Adanan Begawan Pehin Siraja Khatib Dato Seri Setia Hj Mohd Yusof made the announcement earlier in Nove…

AS GOVERNMENT servants are flush with cash following the disbursement of salary and bonus and the new academic term beginning in over a week’s time, the “Back-to-School” sales fever has gripped the country.

It’s a busy time of the year for book and stationery stores nationwide, as they make the most out of it with students and parents alike flocking to the stores to beat the last-minute rush for school necessities and avoid being caught in a book shortage scenario.

Amid the shopping frenzy, a Charity Exhibition and Back-to-School event organised by the KatakIjau Humanitarian Relief Support Group was launched yesterday by the Permanent Secretary (Media and Cabinet) at the Prime Minister’s Office, Haji Mohd Rozan bin Dato Paduka Haji Mohd Yunos.

It was held at the Indoor Stadium of the Hassanal Bolkiah National Sports Complex and organised by the KatakIjau Humanitarian Relief Support Group in collaboration with the Departm…

The centre will promote the adoption of arbitration and mediation services in resolving commercial issues and disputes as a speedier alternative to the usual settlement through civil proceedings in court, the PMO said in statement.

It added that the centre is established to provide arbitration facilities as well as administrative services and mediation to meet the needs of domestic and international consumers. The centre is an independent and non-profit centre with a broad mandate necessary to administer domestic and international arbitration in Brunei Darussalam.

It will also have its own board of directors and will be located on the 8th Floor of the Brunei Economic Development Board headquarters on J…

WITH Brunei Darussalam being part of a regional bloc (APEC) that has started to garner attention from the rest of the world, counterpart and far-distant neighbour Russia has started to take notice of the Abode of Peace – with a number of firsts between the two countries witnessed over the past few years.

From big-business energy to softer bilateral ties through the exchange of culture, the relationship between Russia and the Sultanate is slowly coming to the front burner with a number of successful initiatives that stress on laying the foundation for a brighter future.

Over the past five years since Russia established its embassy under the leadership of outgoing ambassador, Victor Seleznev, the two-way relations has flourished in a number of areas, with the ambition of better serving the people of both countries and many more milestones envisioned for the future.

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Wednesday, December 17, 2014 - HEARTY cheers filled the Jerudong Park and Country Club yesterday as the countdown signalled the grand and official opening of the country’s biggest water park.

Hundreds of visitors comprising the young and old had the first glimpse of 10 exciting water games as they entered the water park.

Armed with boundless enthusiasm and excitement, the children entered the waters and took to the aqua slides, waterfall jets and guns, water mill and waterslides which were part of the many exciting features of the park.

Adults also had a great time as they stood below the interactive tipping bucket and daisy showers while the water splashed on their faces.

Speaking to The Brunei Times, Kristin Natalia, a mother of three children from age six to 13, said that her family enjoyed themselves and will be returning in the future.

Meanwhile, Haris Fadhilah, who came with five of his nephews and nieces, said that this park was an ideal place f…

REDUCING car dependency, keeping traffic moving, achieving a sustainable society and strengthening governance are the four broad strategies identified in the Land Transport Masterplan 2014 (LTMP), which sets out a series of land transport policies under seven strategic goals containing a further 38 high-level and long-term policy recommendations.

The minister also underlined that one of the concerning issues was the road congestion that will be experienced later due to a high car ownership ratio where an annual average rate of nine per cent growth translates to a high dependency on private vehicles in meeting people’s daily mobility needs.

AFTER enjoying their time at Jerudong Park & Country Club (JPCC) Waterpark, visitors can indulge themselves in a variety of burgers and other gourmet food at Charcoal Burger located right inside the Waterpark.

The burgers are not your typical local offerings, being much bigger and are styled as ‘100 per cent handmade’.

Charcoal Burger, which operates under the management of Charcoal BBQ & Grill, was created as a result of the restaurant’s success with its seasonal ‘Big Bang’ gourmet burger promotion. As demand for the burgers grew, the restaurant felt ready to venture into the gourmet burger market.

Burgers at Charcoal Burger are not like any burgers you get at fast food restaurants, the restaurant said in a press release.

Unlike processed food, Charcoal Burger’s patties are 100 per cent handmade and are done to perfection, the restaurant said.

The Big Bang Series are made for true burger lovers who like to take the challenge of …

THE Radio Services at the Radio Televisyen Brunei (RTB) played host for the ‘Program Budaya Tiga Serumpun’ with the Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) and Radio Republik Indonesia (RRI). The programme is one of the cultural activities between the three countries under the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that was inked in 2006.

The recording session for ‘Program Budaya Tiga Serumpun’ took place yesterday at Sengkurong Community Hall. Present as the guest of honour was Haji Mohd Rozan bin Dato Paduka Haji Mohd Yunos, Permanent Secretary (Media and Cabinet) at the Prime Minister’s Office.

In his welcoming address, the Director of RTB, Haji Mohammad Suffian bin Haji Bungsu, said the programme is part of the effort in preserving ‘Pantun’ (Malay poetry), which has been inherited by the Malay community in the archipelago.

“Apart from that, the programme also aimed to encourage the younger generation to uphold the values, beauties and p…

A MOCK key presentation ceremony for the B$69 million Women and Children’s Block of Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Saleha (RIPAS) Hospital was held yesterday at the lobby of the new building.

The new block is to meet the increasing needs of medical services for women and children that require systematic and complete medical treatment to provide better and quality health services to society.

The new Women and Children’s Block is equipped with various high-technology facilities to accommodate the needs of women and children in the country.

THE Information Department in collaboration with Kampong Belimbing Subok Consultative Council yesterday organised a healthy living event dubbed as ‘Healthy Leisure Programme’. The event was held at the Tasik Sarubing Recreational Park in Kampong Belimbing.

The programme was one of the strategic plans of the department in further fostering closer ties at grassroot level with the local communities through social and sports activities.

THE gates to the Waterpark at the Jerudong Park and Country Club (JPCC) opened for the public yesterday seeing visitors lining up to play the slides and water games.

The waterpark features plenty of exciting games for the young and the old to enjoy such as the aqua slides, waterfall jet, water gun, water mill, umbrella jet, interacting tipping bucket, pipe fall, net bridge, water volcano, interactive arching jets, floor jets, daisy shower and waterslides. It can accommodate up to 400 visitors.

Visitors are urged to wear decent and appropriate attires, and to follow the rules and guidelines when using the facilities at the waterpark.

Various facilities at the waterpark include nursing room, Surau, shower rooms and changing rooms as well as lockers.

Additionally, visitors can purchase various items including souvenirs, towels, sunscreen lotions and many more at the Waterpark Shop located in the vicinity.

IN THE old days, elaborate thanksgiving events were organised as part of the Dusun people’s old customs and tradition. A part of it lives on in cultural shows: the Tamarok dance.

The Tamarok was associated with beliefs in animism and was organised as a means of giving thanks following the old beliefs of the Dusun.

Nowadays, the Tamarok is still practiced by those who still follow the old beliefs, says Newas Ukoi, owner and manager of Bintudoh Green Spring Resort in Kampung Lamunin, Tutong.

People can a have a glimpse into the Tamarok through the dance that is occasionally performed as a cultural show.

The Tamarok is performed by female dancers, and what this signifies, Newas says, is that in the old days the female Dusun members carried out the activities of giving thanks. He says the belian or what were then regarded as priestesses of the Dusun were involved in the dances and making offerings.

THE Adai-Adai is a traditional Brunei Malay dance that originated from Kampung Ayer. It depicts life in Brunei’s water villages and fishing as the main livelihood of people back then, says Haji Sisa Nayan, a 64-year-old musician.

Zoom in on the movements of dancers performing the Adai-Adai and you would clearly see artistic depictions of life in a fishing community. Haji Sisa says that when you observe the Adai-Adai dance closely, you could see that one of the movements portray the use of an oar as if mimicking the movement of a person paddling a boat. The idea behind this move, he adds, could have been inspired by how mobility in the water villages in the old days depended heavily on paddling boats.

The song also speaks of scenes between parent and child in a fishing village. Hj Sisa says the song has a message about an indung (parent) trying to get a child to sleep before going fishing to find rezeki (sustenance for the family).